American NSA to discuss AfPak on maiden India visit

US national security advisor HR McMaster will be in India this weekend to discuss stabilisation of Afghanistan in the wake of threats posed by a resurgent Taliban and the expanding footprint of the Islamic State in provinces bordering Pakistan.

Gen (retd) McMaster will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and foreign secretary S Jaishankar in addition to his counterpart Ajit Doval in what will be his first visit to South Asia since he took over in February. McMaster is expected to carry an invitation from US President Donald Trump for Modi to visit Washington in June.

McMaster will visit Kabul and Islamabad before he lands in New Delhi for a day to discuss Afghanistan and renewal of India-US defence ties, top government sources confirmed to HT. South Block officials say the US is concerned over a newly formed Russia-China-PakistanIran axis to promote the Taliban with fresh weapons supplies and strategic support for a future political role in Afghanistan. The axis is said to be supporting the Taliban with the justification that it is the only force that could take on the Islamic State.

The US is concerned as 9,000 of its troops are on Afghan soil as part of the larger stabilisation effort with New Delhi helping in infrastructure development under the Asharf Ghani-led government.